LouisianaOrleans Parish district attorney runs a diversion program for homeless defendants
The Orleans Parish district attorney must run a pilot for homeless defendants and may offer probation that can lead to case dismissal.
What it does
The Orleans Parish district attorney must run a pilot for homeless defendants, linking criminal cases with treatment, housing help, and job training. The district attorney decides who is offered a place.
After an eligible participant completes the court’s probation terms, the district attorney must dismiss the case. A violation may lead to a guilty finding and sentence.
Argument forParticipants may get treatment, housing, and job support while their cases move through court, which could help them address problems tied to homelessness.
Argument againstA participant who breaks a court condition could face a guilty finding and sentence, and each person can receive this dismissal only once.
More detail
The Orleans Parish district attorney must create and administer a homeless diversion pilot program. The program serves homeless defendants in Orleans Parish. It must connect criminal cases with health care, education, housing help, work and job training, and treatment and other support. The district attorney may use office staff or choose a vendor to operate the program. The district attorney decides whether to offer the program as part of pretrial diversion. The law took effect August 1, 2026.
The district attorney must dismiss a participant’s case after the participant completes the court’s probation terms. This applies to an eligible participant placed on probation through the Orleans Parish program. The district attorney may defer proceedings and ask the court to place an eligible person on probation when that serves the public’s and defendant’s best interests. If a participant breaks a probation condition, the court may revoke probation, find the person guilty, and impose a sentence. A dismissal is not a conviction and may happen only once for each person. The dismissal follows completion of the probation terms set by the court.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 8Signed by the Governor Jeff Landry. Becomes Act No. 847.Became Law
- Jun 8Effective date: 08/01/2026.
- Jun 1Sent to the Governor for executive approval.To Governor
- May 31Signed by the President of the Senate.
- May 29Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.Minor
- May 28Read by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
- Vote recorded FINAL PASSAGE (#1518). Result: pass.Upper
- May 28Called from the Calendar.
- May 28Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 3 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.Passed Senate
- May 28Received from the Senate without amendments.Minor
- May 27Rules suspended. Reported favorably. Rules suspended. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.Minor
- May 27Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.Minor
- May 6Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
- May 5Rules suspended. Reported favorably.Minor
- Apr 21Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.Minor
- Apr 20Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.Minor
- Apr 15Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 94, nays 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.Passed House
- Vote recorded FINAL PASSAGE (#546). Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 14Scheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.
- Apr 13Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.Minor
- Apr 9Reported favorably (14-0).Minor
- Mar 9Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.Minor
- Feb 27Prefiled.Minor
- Feb 27Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.Minor
- Feb 27First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.Introduced
Criminal JusticeHousing